 For the government he investigated the industry of fisheries on the Austrian (1863–1865) and French (1868) coasts.In 1883 he retired from service, and visited Spain and the African coast in 1884, 1886, and 1887.Schmarda is credited with being the first scientist to have published the observation that microorganisms respond to light, which is considered the foundation for the development of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.